“I know,” Han Qi, having a clear understanding of his acting abilities, was very self-aware. “I’ll create an accident later and pretend to have amnesia.”

Xing Nǚ wanted to say that pretending to have amnesia also required acting skills.

But she decided against saying anything, since there wasn’t a better solution anyway.

Ah, over these years, Master had become nearly obsessed with his efforts to deal with Lord Changli.

It wasn’t like this in the beginning.

Many years ago, when Master was still cultivating in the mortal realm, he met Lord Changli.

Initially, there was no deep hatred between them.

It was simply that one day, while Master was lecturing his disciples, Lord Changli happened to pass by and heard him. Lord Changli stopped, leaned against the doorframe, smiled, and interjected a few words, refuting Master’s admonitions one by one.

Master, having lost face in front of his disciples, was quite annoyed and countered with citations and references.

Who would have thought that the young Lord Changli, like the young Master, also had a competitive, unyielding personality?

The two argued for seven days and seven nights without conclusion.

Unable to determine a winner, they sought out nearby sages and wise men to judge, making all those great figures cry until they either went into seclusion or traveled far away.

The two then returned to their homes to study, agreeing to compete again after fifty years.

After fifty years, there was still no clear winner, so they agreed to meet again after a hundred years.

Until Master successfully passed his tribulation, entered the Dao Unification stage, and ascended to the Upper Realm, where he was highly valued by the Emperor of the Upper Realm.

Meanwhile, Lord Changli rebelled against Bi’an City and became a fugitive.

The two went from scholarly debates to life-and-death battles.

This was originally a conflict between the Heavenly Race and the Mountain Sea Clan, but Master became involved for the benefit of the mortal race.

In the past, the number of cultivators in the mortal realm was not as vast as it is now.

With limited resources across the Three Realms, the Heavenly Race, relying on their innate advantages, monopolized nine-tenths, which was already excessive.

Even more outrageous was that the Upper Realm also directed the turbid qi produced in their territory down to the lower realms.

The Mountain Sea Clan, who cultivated the way of nature, repeatedly came into conflict with the Upper Realm over this matter.

Instead, they were accused by the Upper Realm of harboring evil intentions, and the Upper Realm developed the desire to exterminate their clan.

After the Mountain Sea Clan was defeated, the Upper Realm, to recover quickly, exploited the mortal realm even more severely.

The recent prosperity of the mortal realm came after Master went to the Upper Realm and negotiated with the Emperor.

The Emperor allocated certain resources to the mortal realm and elevated the status of mortals living in the Upper Realm.

In exchange, Master handled Mountain Sea Clan affairs for the Emperor, his hands stained with the blood of the Mountain Sea Clan.

Master and Lord Changli thus became sworn enemies, locked in a struggle to the death.

Ten days later, on an airship bound for the royal capital, Jin Ling.

There were more passengers than usual on the deck.

This was because a woman in red gauze stood at the stern, her veil covering half her face, revealing only a pair of unfocused, beautiful eyes.

“Look at her attire, she must be from Yin Sha, right?”

“I heard rumors when I boarded that Sword Master Jing might be on the ship. I didn’t believe it at first, but looking at the situation now, it’s probably true. This woman might be the Second Young Lady.”

“What does this have to do with the Sword Master?”

“Hah! Don’t you know? The Sword Master went to Yin Sha earlier and had a dispute with the Great City Lord of Yin Sha. Everyone was on edge!”

“Yes, and then the situation suddenly changed. The Sword Master used the Great Sound Transmission Technique to challenge the Second Young Lady’s master, setting a ten-year term to compete for disciples.”

“I just came out of seclusion, so I didn’t know! The Sword Master hasn’t challenged anyone for at least five hundred years. This is a big event. That Second Young Lady must be extraordinary… Wait, doesn’t the Great City Lord of Yin Sha only have one daughter? How did a second daughter suddenly appear?”

“She’s the daughter that the Great City Lord of Yin Sha just recognized. I heard she’s eight feet tall with the build of a tiger and a bear…”

Xiang Tianqing, who had been gazing in the direction of Yin Sha, finally came to her senses amid these discussions.

Her face remained expressionless, but her fingers were twisted until they turned white.

Meanwhile, inside the cabin, Jing Ran, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly felt his consciousness plunge into an abyss.

Like an out-of-control elevator, his body kept falling, finally landing in a palace shrouded in clouds and mist.

The hall was filled with countless huge bookcases, loaded with books.

Not knowing what was happening, he cautiously walked between the bookcases.

When curiosity prompted him to take a book from the shelf to examine it, golden characters automatically flew out from the book and connected to his spirit platform.

He slowly widened his eyes, broke the connection, and tried another book…

After going through dozens of books, Jing Ran couldn’t understand most of them, but even the little he could comprehend was enough to shock him.

“Young Friend Jing.” A clear, melodious voice suddenly echoed in the library.

Jing Ran was startled and first bowed in apology: “I’m sorry, I merely stumbled into this place by accident and couldn’t find my way back. I got somewhat carried away…”

“It’s not by accident; I allowed you to enter, and I plan to keep you here.” This was Han Qi’s voice. “This is my Celestial Treasury Spiritual Realm, or to put it simply, my study.”

Keep him here?

Jing Ran was skeptical but not panicked.

If he had suddenly been brought here, he might have been frightened, but the other party had given him enough time to understand that this was not a prison, but a vast treasure trove.

Han Qi’s voice continued to echo: “I want to temporarily borrow your body. As compensation, you may freely peruse the cultivation methods and classics in my spiritual treasury.”

Jing Ran asked: “How long does Senior wish to borrow it?”

Han Qi: “It’s hard to say, but the longer I use it, you can stay here for that duration.”

Jing Ran nodded: “Then I’m the one who benefits.”

Han Qi was silent for a moment: “You accept this so readily? Don’t you want to ask what I plan to do with your body?”

Jing Ran said, “With Senior’s strength, directly possessing me shouldn’t be difficult. Using this method suggests you’re not someone who commits great evils. Even if you were, I couldn’t resist anyway, so it’s better not to know, allowing me to focus on cultivating here with peace of mind.”

“Indeed, you’re a perceptive person.” Han Qi sighed. “You remind me of my younger self…”

“Thank you.” Jing Ran bowed with cupped hands. “I hope your words bring good fortune, and that I may achieve accomplishments like yours in the future.”

Han Qi laughed.

Then, he awoke in Jing Ran’s physical body.

After spending half an hour familiarizing himself with the body, he got up, left the cabin, and went to the stern.

Leaning on the railing and gazing into the distance, Han Qi had forgotten how long it had been since he had quietly appreciated a night view like this.

“Senior Brother.” Xiang Tianqing, who was also lingering at the stern, walked over to him and used a private sound transmission. “About the question I asked you yesterday…”

Before Xiang Haikui had arrived, Xiang Tianqing had asked Jing Ran what kind of girl she was.

Jing Ran’s answer was “She is very brave.”

Yesterday, Xiang Tianqing had asked again, and Jing Ran’s answer was “Not just brave, but also very kind.”

The reason was that when she was being pursued by Jing Wenxiu’s flying sword that day, she transformed into a flood dragon and escaped into the inner city, landing only at the city gate because she feared the sword energy would harm innocent citizens.

Today, Xiang Tianqing suddenly wanted to ask: “Senior Brother, what if she’s just very good at acting?”

Han Qi knew nothing about this, but he could guess her meaning and countered: “What if she’s not acting?”

Xiang Tianqing: “…”

Han Qi placed both hands on the ship’s railing, gazing at the streaks of clouds left by the flying ship: “From your attitude, you don’t want to discuss the truth with me. You just need validation from me.”

Jing Ran was usually quiet and aloof, but his attitude during conversations had always been amiable.

At this moment, Xiang Tianqing felt an invisible pressure.

“Spiritual beings naturally seek advantage and avoid harm; this is normal.” Han Qi said. “And our cultivation process is precisely a battle between our true heart and our instincts.”

Xiang Tianqing was puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

Han Qi: “Simply put, whether Xiang Haikui is good or bad, is that important to you?”

Xiang Tianqing: “Of course it’s important. She has affected me; she has changed my original…”

Before she could finish, Han Qi suddenly reached out and pushed her shoulder.

Caught off guard, Xiang Tianqing stumbled backward. After steadying herself, she said with displeasure: “What are you doing, Senior Brother?”

Han Qi: “See, I affected you too, but you knew how to quickly regain your balance. Why, under Xiang Haikui’s influence, are you so unstable?”

Xiang Tianqing was slightly surprised: “How can these be the same…”

“When you step back and look, they’re all the same.” Han Qi closed his eyes, extending his arm outside the ship’s protective barrier to feel the temperature of the wind. “The gale can reach the ends of the earth, yet it can never blow into the heart of a spiritual being. Only you can ripple the waters of your heart lake.”

Xiang Tianqing remained silent.

Han Qi knew she wasn’t listening.

Just like him, despite understanding so many principles, his heart still could not find peace.

Perhaps true peace could only be attained after defeating Yin Changli.

—Brother Changli, this final contest between us is about to begin.

After watching the sunset with Xiang Heng that day, Xiang Haikui immediately went into seclusion to heal her wounds.

Her body was covered with both new and old injuries, and without proper rest, she could easily develop chronic ailments.

By the time she emerged, Yin Sha had returned to its usual tranquility, and Lu Xiqiao had been taken back to the royal capital by his elder brother and sister.

Just two hours after she came out of seclusion, Yin Changli arrived with Bai Xingxian.

She was exercising in the courtyard when Yin Changli lifted the lid of the snake jar and brought it before her.

Xiang Haikui stared at the small black snake for a long time, puzzled. Just as she was about to ask, she suddenly noticed that the snake’s mouth had been sewn shut with crude, crooked stitches!

She widened her eyes: “Xiao Bai, what happened?”

“It wasn’t me.” Bai Xingxian said numbly.

“I sewed it myself.” Yin Changli moved half a step forward, subtly blocking Bai Xingxian to prevent him from taking credit. “This is no ordinary thread; it possesses the power of silence.”

Yin Changli could no longer transmit messages telepathically, but fortunately, he could still speak with Dao Chen’s mouth. “Earlier, regarding those teasing remarks, I hope Miss Xiang isn’t angry.”

“Senior, just for this small matter…”

Yin Changli’s tone was extremely firm, but his eyes were exceptionally gentle: “No, this is not a small matter. It’s very important to me.”

Xiang Haikui gaped in shock, looking at him as if he were a monster.

Heavens! No wonder the dog-like boss suddenly stopped talking in the jade slip. She had thought he was having a mental episode.

Xiang Haikui held her head with both hands, feeling dizzy.

She transmitted: “Xiao Bai, what were you doing? How could you let such an absurd thing happen?”

Bai Xingxian: “I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t.”

He hung his head dejectedly. A fine-looking young man, in this short time, had been nearly tortured into a decrepit old man.

“Miss Xiang?” Yin Changli tentatively called out to her, also changing his form of address, “Xiao Kui?”

Seeing his expression of waiting for “forgiveness,” Xiang Haikui felt like dying: “Senior, you may not know, but while your mouth can’t speak, you can write extremely quickly.”

Yin Changli was momentarily stunned.

Xiang Haikui pointed to his hand: “When I was reading the jade slip you left me, I was bombarded by your written words…”

After listening to her selective recounting, Bai Xingxian became extremely excited: “Uncle means that once he recovers thirty percent of his power, he can return to his true body and activate the sphere?”

“That’s right.” Xiang Haikui took out the night-luminous pearl to show him, along with a map. “From now on, when we’re free, we need to hunt demons to extract demonic energy for Senior’s healing.”

Bai Xingxian immediately agreed: “Mm-hmm.”

Xiang Haikui’s finger traced over an area on the map: “We’ll start by hunting outside the Yin Sha border, where there are many demons. Then we’ll go to this uninhabited area, where some man-eating great demons are said to lurk. Killing them will also help my father expand his territory.”

Bai Xingxian nodded vigorously and suggested, “We should also test that ancient Shen Yao.”

“We’ll leave the Shen Yao for last; we can’t defeat it yet. It wouldn’t be interesting to ask my father for help. This is a long-term battle; we need to handle it ourselves.”

“Alright.”

“After we finish with the demons outside the border, we’ll go here, here, and here…”

As the two of them were discussing enthusiastically, Yin Changli suddenly interrupted: “This won’t work.”

Xiang Haikui shifted her gaze from the map to his face: “What won’t work?”

Yin Changli pointed at the snake jar, looking very troubled: “Snakes don’t have claws; I can’t chop them off.”

Xiang Haikui: …

Bai Xingxian: …

This was truly infuriating!

Xiang Haikui finally understood the saying “the emperor isn’t anxious, but the eunuch is dying of anxiety.” The two of them were here worrying themselves sick, while the main character’s head was full of romantic fantasies!

“Senior, there’s no need to cut off your hand for being mischievous. You can make amends through service.”

Anger drove Xiang Haikui to boldness as she steeled herself. “For instance, you could serve me tea, pour water, wash clothes, fold blankets, and such things in the future.”

Yin Changli was slightly startled: “Like what Xiao Bai does for me?”

Xiang Haikui: “Exactly!”

Yin Changli readily agreed: “No problem.”

With that, he was about to head into her room to follow Xiao Bai’s example and help tidy her room.

“Wait, now we need to go out to hunt demons, and you must come along.” Xiang Haikui took off the sword case from her back and threw it to him. “From now on, you’ll carry my sword for me. You know I never go without my sword, so you can’t stay too far from me either.”

Yin Changli hugged the case with both hands. The sword case was heavy, causing him to stumble slightly forward, but his heart was as sweet as if it had been dipped in honey: “Mm, from now on, I won’t leave your side.”

“That won’t do.” Xiang Haikui nodded toward the main gate. “Now you need to go fetch two camels.”

“Oh, alright.” Yin Changli immediately headed out.

After recovering from his shock, Bai Xingxian pulled at her: “Have you gone mad?”

Xiang Haikui spread her hands: “I’m giving him a way to apologize. Would you rather he continue to torture himself?”

Bai Xingxian: “That’s true, but when Uncle wakes up, you’re dead, Xiang Haikui!”

Xiang Haikui displayed the calm of someone with too many debts to worry about: “Have you heard the expression ‘a dead pig fears no scalding water’?”

Either way, she was doomed once he woke up, so why not get some advance revenge for the severe beating she would eventually receive?

Tian Kuang went bang-bang-bang in his case, his wild intent beginning to rise.

Yes!

Just like that!

Enslave him! Whip him! Sleep with him! Cuckold him!

Wait for him to regain his memory and anger him to death!

He was jumping so violently that Yin Changli almost couldn’t hold steady. He stroked the case, speaking in a tone used to soothe children: “Be quiet.”

“But…” After Bai Xingxian had come to his senses, he no longer worried about Xiang Haikui and began to feel sorry for his uncle. “Little Sister Kui, you can’t treat my uncle like this!”

Xiang Haikui didn’t argue, but asked a servant for a bunch of grapes. As she ate them, she called out: “Senior Yin.”

Yin Changli, who was about to go fetch the camels, turned around.

Xiang Haikui smiled with narrowed eyes: “Are you happy to be at my beck and call like this?”

Yin Changli didn’t answer, only revealing a smile.

At that moment, his feet happened to stop under a pomegranate tree, his smile as radiant as the pomegranate blossoms on the branches, saying everything that needed to be said.

Xiang Haikui shrugged her shoulders and said to Bai Xingxian in a teasing tone: “See, you simply don’t understand the happiness of being in love.”

Bai Xingxian covered his eyes.